Also for your preview pleasure, here is the name of next week's chapter.

Chapter 9 – Dissolved in a Sea of Light

Now... here's the badass Angel of this chapter, and one of my favorite Angels... Zeruel!Well, he ties with the next three actually in terms of how evil he is, cause they're all evil in their own way!So, until next week! Enjoy the chapter, and get ready, it foes get worse from here.

Voted in college to be Most likely to Take Over the World, how to do that however, will require at leastFour Evangelions. Thanks for the idea Misato-san!"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." Said at the beginning of the nuclear age by J. Robert Oppenheimer."That which does not kill us makes us stronger." Words of Wisdom from German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

Voted in college to be Most likely to Take Over the World, how to do that however, will require at leastFour Evangelions. Thanks for the idea Misato-san!"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." Said at the beginning of the nuclear age by J. Robert Oppenheimer."That which does not kill us makes us stronger." Words of Wisdom from German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

Rei was lying in bed, covered in bandages. Her arms, legs and head were heavily bandaged. She had an IV in, and was sleeping somewhat comfortably. She hadn’t woken up since she was knocked unconscious by Zeruel’s vicious attack. Rei however was starting to stir. She opened her eyes slowly and blinked rapidly when the sunlight hit them. She held her hand over her face and flexed it and stared at intently it.

“How am I still alive…” Rei muttered. “I am still me… I should be different… yet I am still the same…” Rei stared at the wall. “Wait… Shinji… did you save us?”

“Yeah, he did it again.” Kaji said, which startled Rei quite severely. “Mr. Kaji? Why are you here?”

“Well, I came here to give you some news when you got up.” Kaji said. “Shinji did indeed save you… we heard the alarm, and I led him back to the Cage to launch. He fought and defeated the Angel after a fierce fight.”

Rei’s lip quivered. “What about Asuka and Mari? I know they were hurt.”

“Asuka’s home now…” Kaji said. “But she’s not talking to anyone… and Mari’s still in a coma. She took a few more attacks than the rest of you.”

“No…” Rei said worriedly. “What happened to Shinji?” Rei asked. “If I was decimated so easily… and Asuka and Mari were also bested, Shinji must have had issues…” Rei’s eyes went wide and she started to shiver. “Is Shinji… has he… died? Did he die to protect us?”

“No, not at all.” Kaji said. “He’s not ok, but he’s alive… we think… he’s trapped inside of Unit–01’s Core. His sync rate went too high and he, well his A.T. Field collapsed. They don’t know if they can bring him back, but everyone is trying their best to bring him back. I just wanted to tell you myself…”

“Shinji…” Rei said tearfully. “He’s… he’s gone?”

“Yeah… he’s gone Rei…” Kaji said. “But he’s not dead…”

“Yes, but…” Rei said as tears rolled down her cheeks. “It is my fault. My plan failed… if I had killed the Angel… Shinji would not be… he would not be… gone!”

Kaji stepped forward and hugged the crying girl tightly. “Rei, it’s not your fault that Shinji’s trapped.” Kaji said consolingly “It’s no one’s fault, Rei… these things just happen, there isn’t any way to predict that would have happened. You don’t have to cry, Rei…” Kaji wiped Rei’s tears away. “I don’t think Shinji would like you crying though…”

Rei sniffled. “I believe you are correct.” Rei smiled. “It just seemed like an appropriate reaction.”

“It was, Rei.” Kaji said. “But I just don’t like seeing girls cry.”

“Do you believe Shinji will be alright?” Rei asked.

“Yeah, he always pulls through…” Kaji said. “He has luck on his side.”

“No… I cannot.” Rei said. “I do not handle emotions well… I am not used to them.”

Kaji smiled. “Rei, I think you handle your emotions just fine.”

“When may I leave the hospital?” Rei asked.

“Probably a few days.” Kaji said. “The doctors said they want to keep you for observation. You did get knocked around quite a bit.”

“Yes, I was…” Rei said.

“Rei… you had a wonderful fight, I saw the whole thing from Unit–02.” Kaji said.

“How did you see the whole fight?” Rei asked. “Were you in the Geofront?”

“Yeah, I was.” Kaji said. “I got Shinji to the door to base, and then went and helped Asuka and Mari. What you did was very brave. It was a great plan too.”

“It was reckless.” Rei said. “I was desperate to kill that Angel. I wanted to save everyone. But I was unable to.”

“Rei what you did bought time for Shinji to get into Unit–01, and Asuka and Mari gave you time to get into Unit–00, you all saved us from dying. Every second you were fighting was one more second people had to get out of the base. It was one more second the Angel couldn’t finish its plan and start Third Impact. You didn’t fail anyone, Rei, you did what you were supposed to, fight your hardest.”

“So you don’t think I failed?” Rei asked.

“No, I think you did great.” Kaji said. “Why are you asking? You’ve never asked before to my knowledge.”

“No… I have not.” Rei said. “I have only done what I was told before… I have never acted of my volition.”

“Well, maybe it’s time for you to do that more often.” Kaji said. “I think you’d be better for it, really.”

“Why do you say that?” Rei asked.

“Well, sometimes all you can trust is your gut.” Kaji said. “Now, I’ve got to go check on Misato, she hasn’t been doing great…”

“Because she loves Shinji like her child.” Rei said. “She admitted as much when he was forced to leave… we all care about Shinji… he is… special.”

“Yeah… he is special.” Kaji said. “Now, just relax, I’ll come by to see you later, ok?”

“Thank you, Mr. Kaji.” Rei said as Kaji walked out of the room. ‘I just hope you are right about Shinji… I’d like for my big brother to be safe…’ Rei thought.–––

Voted in college to be Most likely to Take Over the World, how to do that however, will require at leastFour Evangelions. Thanks for the idea Misato-san!"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." Said at the beginning of the nuclear age by J. Robert Oppenheimer."That which does not kill us makes us stronger." Words of Wisdom from German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

New chapter is up, its filler mostly because Shinji is in the Core of Unit–01, but some things can't be avoided in a story, so please enjoy this take on Shinji's month away from home. Unlike the show and rebuild, it's not all about Shinji. I did do that on purpose... in this story he's not as fucked up as he was in the show, so he needs a bit less self discovery and a bit more exposition

Speaking of Chapters, Kaworu won't be making an appearance until Episode VI, as he has three entire chapters devoted to his stay and impact on the characters. Actually, Episode VI is devoted entirely to Kaworu and Third Impact, with some of the show's final episodes being changed around to make things more fluid for the story.

Now, based on the upcoming chapters, this is where some things are headed. Take this as you will:Also, I would be super nervous going anywhere near this toilet in real life.

Voted in college to be Most likely to Take Over the World, how to do that however, will require at leastFour Evangelions. Thanks for the idea Misato-san!"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." Said at the beginning of the nuclear age by J. Robert Oppenheimer."That which does not kill us makes us stronger." Words of Wisdom from German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

The new chapter will be up on Saturday, but until then enjoy this excerpt from Chapter 10! Also, my AO3 profile will be caught up by Thursday. Meaning, this Saturday, I'll be updating both ff.net and AO3 at the same time for the first time.

The kids were all in their Entry Plugs doing sync tests. Misato was monitoring while Ritsuko administered the tests. The test results were coming in, and Ritsuko was impressed with three of the scores, but disappointed in the final one.

“So, Asuka’s score is down again.” Ritsuko said. “If this keeps going, I’m pulling her form the program.”

“Leave it alone Ritsuko.” Misato said. “It’s that time of the month.”

“She’s had that time of the month more than 20 times since she started doing sync tests.” Ritsuko retorted. “Physical changes in the body like that don’t do anything to the sync rate… it’s all psychological, and I will not have an unstable pilot inside of Unit–02.”

“Please each of those kids are unstable.” Misato said. “Otherwise, they would never have agreed to pilot those things.”

“She has a point, Dr. Akagi.” Maya said. “Maybe you should give Asuka the benefit of the doubt and let her try to improve her score.”

“No, she’s a liability.” Ritsuko said. “If her score goes down any further, she won’t be able to pilot anymore. I will not risk the lives of the human race for some spoiled girl’s feelings…”

“Well, that just makes you a bitch.” Misato said.

“This makes me a bitch!” Ritsuko said coldly as she flipped the comm switch. “The test is over.” Ritsuko said shortly. “Shinji, congratulations, you’re still on top, Mari you’re in second, and Rei, you’re in third.” Ritsuko paused and a smile formed on her face. “Asuka, your score dropped five more points… if you don’t step it up, you’re no longer going to be piloting Unit–02.”

“Answer me!” Shinji roared as the base shook again. “Why are you being mean to her?!”

“Ma’am, I’m getting a report from the Cage… Unit–01 is online.” Maya reported.

“How is that even possible?” Misato asked.

“I don’t know…” Ritsuko said. “It’s on ice…”

“Maybe it has something to do with Shinji.” Maya said. “Shinji, please calm down.”

“Not until she apologizes!” Shinji shouted.

“Why do I need to apologize?” Ritsuko asked. “I was only stating the truth.”

“Just do it, Ritsuko!” Misato shouted. “Stop being such a bitch!”

“Fine…” Ritsuko said. “I’m sorry, Asuka, I was only telling you the truth.”

“Son of a bitch, Ritsuko!” Misato shouted. “You can’t even apologize like a human being, can you?! Get the hell out of here and go meet Asuka at her Entry Plug!” Misato grabbed the mic. “Shinji, I will make her apologize to Asuka when she gets out of the Entry Plug…” Misato said consolingly. “Just please calm down, you trust me right?”

“Whatever…” Asuka muttered. “Just get me out of here…”–––Ritsuko’s apology didn't go over so well. As soon as Asuka saw the woman, Asuka decked her in the face and knocked her into the pool of LCL the Entry plugs were dipped in. Asuka stormed off before anyone could stop her. Everyone stood there in shock while Ritsuko had flailed around the LCL, and no one stopped to help her.

Asuka ran off to the locker rooms and stood in front of the mirror, clutching her stomach. “Stupid cramps…” Asuka muttered as she braced herself on the sink and looked up at herself. “I hate this… why do I have to suffer through this shit once a month because I’m a girl…” Asuka said angrily. “It’s not like anyone would have kids with me anyway…” Asuka slammed her fist into the mirror and broke it. “I hate my life! Shinji will never love me! I may as well just die!”

“Asuka… are you ok?” Mari asked.

“What do you want four eyes?!” Asuka shouted as her hand dripped blood. “Why are you bothering me?!”

Mari looked at the mirror. “Because, Asuka… you just broke a mirror… you’re clearly having some issues.”

“How much did you hear, four eyes.” Asuka asked.

“All of it.” Mari said. “Do you want to talk?”

“No, just forget you heard all of that.” Asuka said. “It’s not your problem… Shinji doesn’t love me, and no one on this planet can change that… but I don’t think I could love anyone else… I can’t stop thinking about him…”

Mari stepped forward and took Asuka’s injured hand, and wrapped it in a handkerchief. “I know… and I can’t tell you anything to fix what you’re feeling, just remember that I’m always here for you if you need to talk.” Mari finished wrapping Asuka’s wound and hugged the girl. “You can punch me if you want, I won’t make your fist bleed as much.”

Asuka hugged Mari back and began to cry. “I just… I just don’t want to be a failure!” Asuka cried out. “If I’m a failure, then Shinji will never love me!”

“Just let it all out, Asuka.” Mari said consolingly as Asuka sobbed uncontrollably on her shoulder. “Cry as much as you need to… I’ll figure something out, don’t worry…”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Voted in college to be Most likely to Take Over the World, how to do that however, will require at leastFour Evangelions. Thanks for the idea Misato-san!"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." Said at the beginning of the nuclear age by J. Robert Oppenheimer."That which does not kill us makes us stronger." Words of Wisdom from German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

Voted in college to be Most likely to Take Over the World, how to do that however, will require at leastFour Evangelions. Thanks for the idea Misato-san!"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." Said at the beginning of the nuclear age by J. Robert Oppenheimer."That which does not kill us makes us stronger." Words of Wisdom from German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

I'm not dead, and I didn't forget about the fic last week... I had the flu, and long gross story short, I felt like death warmed over, and wanted to die. But, now I'm feeling better (and lighter), and will be posting again this saturday (see below). Also, be on the lookout next week for two one shots, on Wednesday. Also, look for Episode VI in the next few weeks...

Voted in college to be Most likely to Take Over the World, how to do that however, will require at leastFour Evangelions. Thanks for the idea Misato-san!"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." Said at the beginning of the nuclear age by J. Robert Oppenheimer."That which does not kill us makes us stronger." Words of Wisdom from German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

Well apparently the above post was incorrect. After recovering from the flu my personal life got in the way of getting things up and ready on time. However, I am on track to release this Saturday or Sunday. Now the new release schedule is as follows. Chapter 11 will post this weekend, followed by two one shots the following weekend (April 1), and then Chapter 12 will post with the opening chapter of Episode VI on April 8 which happens to coincide with my brithday. So enough of my prattling and apologizes, I also have an excerpt of the opening of Chapter 11 below.

It has been two days since the battle against Arael, well, it was less of a battle really, as the main part of the battle took place solely in Asuka’s mind, at least until Shinji intervened. He hadn’t done much, but what he did saved Asuka from her mind being broken. As powerful as Areal was, she could not assault two minds as effectively as one, and the happy memories from their long forgotten childhood had protected them.

She was fine now, and she and Shinji had been released from the hospital that day, with no signs of mental contamination, and no signs of Angelic contamination. All was well for the both of them, at least medically and on paper, but in their minds, they both had a lot of stuff to sort through.

So, both of them were being brought home, but separately, stemming from the revelations from the previous battle. So, Shinji was being brought home with Kaji, and Asuka’s transport was left to Misato. Shinji clearly got the better part of the deal

Shinji was quiet in the car. He kept his head down, and didn’t make an attempt to talk with Kaji. Kaji however wasn’t going to let Shinji get away quietly, and tried to engage him in some sort of conversation.

“So, Shinji, do you want to talk about it?” Kaji asked.

“About what?” Shinji asked quietly.

“Come on, don’t play dumb.” Kaji said. “It’s unbecoming of you.”

“Not really…” Shinji said. “Sorry…”

“Don’t apologize, Shinji.” Kaji said kindly. “You’ve been through a lot the past few days.” Kaji smiled. “You know what you did was pretty brave, Shinji… it takes a lot to jump in the line of fire like that.”

“It didn’t do much.” Shinji said. “It just made things worse…”

“No it didn’t.” Kaji replied. “You saved Asuka from facing that Angel on her own. If you hadn’t intervened when you did, she would…” Kaji grimaced. “Her mind would have been broken, Shinji… you saved her.”

“Shinji, you distracted the Angel long enough for Rei to kill it.” Kaji said. “You did what you had to do… you and Unit–01 were very formidable. Don’t sell yourself short.”

“Yeah, but what good did it do in the end…” Shinji said sullenly. “Asuka hates me.”

“I don’t think she hates you.” Kaji said. “I mean… I don’t know what exactly happened in there, but… whatever it was shook the both of you pretty hard. And whenever you’re ready to talk about it, I’m here for you, ok?”

“Yeah, ok…” Shinji said. “Are we almost back yet?”

Kaji sighed. “Just about.”

“I’m sorry, I know I’m not being very nice…” Shinji said.

“Hey, like I said, don’t apologize…” Kaji said. “You have every right to be a bit… gruff.”

“I know…but I’m still sorry.” Shinji said.–––Misato wasn’t having too much luck at getting Asuka to talk, and she was being even more abrasive than Shinji could be.

“Asuka, are you ok?” Misato asked as she took her eyes off the road to look over at her.

“Keep your eyes on the road!” Asuka shouted. “Try not to kill me by being concerned!”

“Fine…” Misato said. “So, what happened in there?”

“None of your damn business!” Asuka said angrily.

“Well… I just hope all this anger isn’t over Shinji being in love with you…” Misato quipped.

“Can you just shut up?!” Asuka shouted. “Just focus on getting me home in one fucking piece and don’t fucking ask me anything!”

Kaji and Shinji walked to the elevators and Mari and Rei went over to them to meet the two of them as the elevators dinged open on the 12th floor.

“Shinji!” Mari said.

“Shinji, are you well?” Rei asked.

“Yeah…” Shinji said quietly as he walked past both of them sullenly. Mari gave him a concerned look, and Rei’s face fell. Kaji turned to them and shook his head. Shinji disappeared into the apartment followed by Kaji as the other elevator dinged revealing Asuka and Misato.

“Asuka.” Mari said.

“Are you well?” Rei asked.

“Just leave me alone…” Asuka said as she stomped past them into the apartment.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with her…” Misato said.

“Did you try to find out, miso?” Mari asked.

“Yeah, she bit my head off.” Misato replied.

“Great… this won’t be easy…” Mari said sullenly.

“What won’t be easy?” Misato asked.

“Comforting the both of them.” Rei replied. “We have our work cut out for us…”

“How are you going to comfort them?” Misato asked.

“I’m not sure, miso…” Mari said. “This is one of those make it up as you go kinda things.”

“Well, then get inside…” Misato said. “Maybe they’ll trust you guys more than the adults.”

“That’s the idea miso.” Mari said. “I can see how you keep getting promoted… you’re smarter than you look.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult.” Misato said.

“Yes.” Mari said.

“You’re a pain in the ass.” Misato said.

“Well, we can talk about that later.” Mari said. “We should probably get inside.”

The three of them walked inside to only see Kaji sitting in the kitchen with a very sullen looking Pen–Pen sitting on the floor beside him.

“Where the hell are they?” Misato asked.

“Shinji went right to his room, and Asuka stormed off to hers.” Kaji said. “Did you say something insensitive in the car?”

“He at least said hello to those two when he came inside.” Kaji said. “All I heard was Asuka shout… you pissed her off.”

Misato sighed. “No… she like that when she got in the car…” Misato rubbed the back of her head. “She didn’t want to talk about whatever happened… but she’s angrier than I’ve ever seen her, I’m worried…”

Voted in college to be Most likely to Take Over the World, how to do that however, will require at leastFour Evangelions. Thanks for the idea Misato-san!"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." Said at the beginning of the nuclear age by J. Robert Oppenheimer."That which does not kill us makes us stronger." Words of Wisdom from German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

Very sad to see them in this state but after what has just happened it does make complete sense. There is hope though, as long as the others are willing to try to help them and importantly make an effort to do so there is that little bit of hope.

Voted in college to be Most likely to Take Over the World, how to do that however, will require at leastFour Evangelions. Thanks for the idea Misato-san!"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." Said at the beginning of the nuclear age by J. Robert Oppenheimer."That which does not kill us makes us stronger." Words of Wisdom from German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

So, due to the last chapter, I know things look grim, and it wasn't fun to write at all... well there were a few parts that weren't awful, but I do have something I've been holding onto for a while, another one shot set between Episode IV and V in the month-ish long gap. Also look for another one shot on Saturday while I work on finishing up Episode V and move into writing the first chapter of Episode VI for a simultaneous release like always!

Voted in college to be Most likely to Take Over the World, how to do that however, will require at leastFour Evangelions. Thanks for the idea Misato-san!"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." Said at the beginning of the nuclear age by J. Robert Oppenheimer."That which does not kill us makes us stronger." Words of Wisdom from German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

Well first, a short bit of business... a new one shot is out this Saturday as I prep the ending of Episode V and beginning of Episode VI. Now, below all this, and the next set of chapter names are some charts, which seeing as the end of Episode V is upon us, its time to post again. The sync score graphs, or at least the one that individually list out the pilot's scores with the graph are hidden with spoilers considering I don't want the post to be a mile long. Also, not that it needs to be mentioned, but the charts are all created in MS Excel, best tool in the world!

I will also have a spoiler out sometime this week or early next week for Chapter 12.

So enjoy the charts and such, the extra tidbits and such make this all the more fun for me.

Also for your preview pleasure, here are is the final chapter title of Episode V.

Chapter 12 – Mending Fences

Also, seeing as I'm in a sharing mood, here is the opening arc of Episode VI, the Kaworu focused chapters.

Chapter 1 – Ode de JoyChapter 2 – I Am Not the One You KnowChapter 3 – Betrayal; Tabris Deceives

Voted in college to be Most likely to Take Over the World, how to do that however, will require at leastFour Evangelions. Thanks for the idea Misato-san!"Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." Said at the beginning of the nuclear age by J. Robert Oppenheimer."That which does not kill us makes us stronger." Words of Wisdom from German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.